Why Prince Harry & Prince William Won't Reunite At 'Peacemaker' Cousin Peter Phillips' Wedding
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There's a very simple reason why Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and William, Prince of Wales, won't be reuniting at their cousin's wedding on Saturday, June 6, 2026. According to royal commentator Emily Nash during a live recording of Hello! Magazine's "A Right Royal Podcast," Harry wasn't invited to Peter Phillips' nuptials. "What we were told was that Peter hadn't spoken to Harry for the last few years," Nash explained. "And so it sort of has been a natural cooling off and he wasn't invited as a result."
Peter, the son of Anne, Princess Royal, is older than both Harry and William. He has therefore acted as a "peacemaker" of sorts between King Charles' sons at previous family affairs, including the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 2021. "Peter was positioned between the two warring brothers," Nash recalled.
It's been five years since then, and Harry hasn't done much to mend his relationship with William or win favor with Peter, according to Nash. The royal expert claimed that Harry's 2023 memoir "Spare" and his Netflix docuseries with Meghan Markle put strain on Harry and Peter's relationship. Peter's loyalty remained with his extended family as he took a stand against Harry's decision to make private issues public gossip. Nash said the decision to snub Harry was "smart," because now attention will stay on Peter and his bride-to-be, National Health Service nurse Harriet Sperling, on their wedding day.
Harry reportedly wants to reconcile, but he might have burned his last bridge with William
Although Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, keep making media appearances and driving a bigger wedge between themselves and the royal family, he apparently still hopes for reconciliation. "I would love reconciliation with my family. There's no point continuing to fight any more, life is precious," Harry told the BBC in May 2025.
According to expert sources, though, Prince William is so beyond wanting to reconcile that he barely thinks or talks about Harry at all. "What has struck me the most recently is that he just doesn't mention it [the feud with Harry] at all," a friend told The Times in June 2025. "It used to be that the family stuff was taking up a lot of space in his head, it was a very close relationship and he was very upset. But he's not letting it get to him at all any more. It is a change. It's sad, but it's a much healthier space for him to be at."
In March 2026, royal author Omid Scobie told People that the rift between William and Harry is as big as it has ever been. "The ball has been in William's court for some time now," Scobie said, noting that William has basically kicked the metaphorical ball in a completely new direction instead of punting it back. Nonetheless, reconciliation between Harry and King Charles is a possibility, according to Scobie. "I think in terms of family, it takes two, and I think we have seen some effort between Harry and his father go both ways," he said.